


Redamancy

by thesheepislost



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Confessions, Crush, F/M, Friendship, How Do I Tag, Not Beta Read, Rantaro is a bro, School-life, Sharing a Bed, Shuichi and Kaede are idiots, Sleeping in the same bed, Sleepy Cuddles, they're both just cute and shy, wholesome friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:35:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29252322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesheepislost/pseuds/thesheepislost
Summary: Kaede Akamatsu is a genius with music- she can play any classical piano piece forwards and backwards with her eyes closed.But she's hopeless when it comes to her feelings with Shuichi Saihara.•••Redamancy- (n.): The act of loving in return
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Hinata Hajime/Nanami Chiaki, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 22
Kudos: 82





	1. Impulse Control

**Author's Note:**

> This originally started out as a one-shot, and I feel like you can really tell that it did towards the end- it just comes off as rushed and I genuinely have no clue how to fix it but oh well, I guess?

Normally, one would have been offended should their livelihood be insulted with such confidence. Normally, one would sit with their head bowed and their hands crossed over one-another; they would have the decency to look as if they were listening to the complaints. After all, when your job is to serve those you were hired by, you are also subjected to their every whim, no matter how absurd it may be. 

However, Kaede Akamatsu was not one of the normal pianists-for-hire; the blonde was a highly sought after talent, and she knew this. Thusly, when her client approached her with his face so close to her own that she could smell the tobacco tucked into his cheek and his spit flew freely, sticking to her own face- the pianist felt she shouldn’t have to put up with such treatment. 

The client took to yelling obscenities at her retreating form, insults ranging from those thugs threw around to more pretentious flexes of wealth and class. She walked for an hour with nothing but frustration accompanying her before her willpower seemed to give up. 

She groaned, ran her hands through her hair, and squatted down on the side of the path. She had been so angry and determined to get as far away from the insulting man as possible that she had no idea where she was. The biting cold suddenly embraced her in an extremely unwelcome hug and she shivered, goosebumps decorating her flesh with a kiss. 

“Geez,” she huffed, eyes closed. She allowed herself to fully sit on the cold asphalt and laid back. She didn’t care that her hair was sprawled out into the mud or that her clothes, usually reserved for the more luxurious occasions, was laying against the disgusting ground. 

Her dress was worth more than she could make from winning a national competition- basically, this dress was extremely expensive.

The billowing fabric that halted right at her ankles had a rather large slip towards the middle, which stopped mid-thigh. At the exposure from both her legs and her shoulders, Kaede’s teeth began chattering in a cadence that made her fingers unconsciously tap out a tune. 

That was the last time she would accept and play for stuck-up rich people; she should have known that nothing good would come out of it. The second she had arrived the man had greeted her with a fix of his tie and a hand smoothing the gel into his hair. He even had a servant- who in this day and age had a servant? 

Kaede recalled how Sayaka had excitedly told her she got a performance booked for the pianist. She groaned and once again ran her hands through her hair, disturbing the fancy updo Tsumugi had helped her with. She hated to disappoint the pop-star or to tarnish her reputation, but where the hell had she found those clients? 

“Are you okay?” 

Kaede jumped slightly, the shock of hearing another person’s voice generating brief anxiety before she realized who was asking that. 

Shuichi Saihara stood in front of her, his hand extended out to her as though to help her up from her spot on the ground. He was in the usual uniform that he wore- the dark blue fabric with white pinstripes, but his hat was noticeably missing. Kaede hid her grin behind her gloved hands. He clutched a brown leather bag anxiously with his other hand and his brows were drawn tight in concern. 

He must have been coming back from the agency he had started working with, Kaede mused, her eyes trailing him up and down. The detective didn’t seem to notice her observing eyes and only repeated his question with more fervor. 

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Kaede huffed. She grabbed his hand and forcefully tugged him forward. “Lay with me!” 

The boy’s brow furrowed in confusion.

She gave a light-hearted giggle.

“Why are you laying on the ground?” Shuichi set down his bag and shrugged off the uniform jacket, exposing a plain white button-up underneath. He leaned down and draped the fabric over Kaede’s shoulders.

She grabbed it and snuggled her face deeper into the clothing, face heating up with the comforting smell that immediately surrounded her. Shuichi, too, was blushing, but he easily hid it by looking away. 

“Because.” She ignored his concern and instead settled with a, “You never slow down. You’re always just marching forward with your head down.” The pianist turned her nose up at the detective and looked at him through thick lashes. She extended her gloved hand once more, now inviting him down to join her on the cold ground.

“Lay down with me.”

Shuichi sighed and looked around as though he were guilty of some crime.

“Please?” She added, puffing out her lower lip and drawing her brows together. 

Shuichi had a very hard time telling Kaede no to anything, and the blonde knew this. He just had a good heart and was incredibly shy where she was like...his other half.

Where he was shy and reserved, she was bold and confident. She had no problems rushing forth and taking charge; he was more often than not standing on the sidelines, passively kicking rocks.

They complemented one another perfectly; she wasn’t afraid to admit that she had a special place in her heart for her detective. 

Though as of late, that special place seemed to blossom into something much deeper. 

Kaede shook her head to rid her head of such thoughts and inwardly laughed at the silliness of it all. She had a crush on Shuichi Saihara. Her, Kaede Akamatsu, world-renowned pianist and Ultimate Pianist at Hope’s Peak Academy had a crush. The realization felt so foreign on the tip of her tongue that she settled on shoving it somewhere deep in the bottom of her heart. It would never come to fruition anyways. 

The blue-haired boy huffed and murmured something that vaguely resembled an agreement and Kaede clapped her hands, a soft giggle erupting into the cool night air. He lowered himself down on the ground next to her and immediately shivered, wrapping his hands around himself and rubbing them up and down. Kaede scooted closer and flung a half of his jacket over him too.

She told herself the flush on both of their faces was from the cold. 

“There aren’t any stars out.” He deadpanned. 

Kaede bit back a guilty laugh and turned to stare at the blank ink-black sky. Her heart was so loud in her ears that she had a hard time hearing his soft voice. 

“I know,” she replied. A smile tugged on her lips. “But isn’t it nice anyways?”

Shuichi hummed his agreement- or maybe it was a disagreement, she couldn’t tell- but he seemed pleased enough. 

“Kaito would’ve yelled at you,” He whispered. “Why are you laying on the ground anyways? You’re gonna catch a cold.” 

His concern was touching. She snuggled closer down to the fabric and gave a half-hearted shrug. 

“My night sucked.” 

Shuichi, momentarily taken aback by her bluntness, turned his head to make eye contact with her. She avoided his eyes. 

“How so?” 

She hated to bother people with her feelings. That was the bad thing about being such a people-pleaser-- she tended to bottle her own thoughts and feelings to unpack at home, by herself. She especially didn’t want to worry Shuichi. 

But something about the way he was looking at her with such willingness to listen...

“My client ended up being a total loser- he literally insulted me in front of the entire audience.” Kaede’s eyes pricked with tears and she angrily wiped her eyes. She wasn’t sad. She was used to criticism- it was something that just comes with being an artist. “He got mad that my tempo wasn’t what he ‘specially requested’ for his banquet.” 

It wasn’t the fact that he had been so rude to her that made her frustrated. It was the fact that she had let it get to her for some reason. 

A bitter laugh interrupted her words. “He said I was the worst possible hire.”

“Akamatsu-san,” Kaede glared at him. “A-ah...K-Kaede…”

“Better,” she hummed, content. 

Shuichi cleared his throat. 

“K-Kaede, you’re an amazing performer. If that guy couldn’t see it then he’s an idiot.” He folded his arms over his chest. “You have more talent in one toe than he had in his whole body- I guarantee it.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his attempt at comforting her. Even though he was shy and nervous around people, especially when they were upset, he had always easily comforted her seemingly without trying. She was glad for his presence. 

“Thanks, Shuichi.” 

They laid in silence for a while longer, just enjoying each other’s presence. Shuichi gave a particularly violent shiver before either one of them made a move to get up. She stood first, slipped her heels on, and helped the boy to his feet. He gratefully slipped his jacket back on and buttoned it up with a speed she didn’t know he was capable of. 

Together the couple walked further down the road, once more in a comforting silence. Shuichi had dug in his bag and produced a gray beanie. He slipped it over Kaede’s complicated braids (now noticeably messy) and gave her a small smile. It was so rare to see Shuichi with that smile that actually reached his eyes that the blonde grabbed the sides of the hat and tugged it low over her brow, hiding her flushed cheeks in both the hat and the dark of the night. 

“You got off late tonight.” She took to grasping for conversation. Her beating heart and the warmth spreading into her toes were too much to bear. 

Shuchi nodded. “We started a new case. Kyoko and Makoto had to leave early so I was the only one there.” The blue-haired boy dug around in his pocket and produced a smartphone.

The screen was so bright he squinted and blinked rapidly before his steps halted altogether and a deep sigh left him like it was just waiting to be let out. 

“What’s up?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Kaito just asked if I could come by his dorm.” 

Kaede tilted her head. She didn’t see why that was a problem- they all lived on the same campus and their dorms were relatively close to one another. Seeing her confusion, Shuichi pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Kokichi took everyone’s dorm keys and is making them partner up with whoever he wants.” 

“So...he’s being Kokichi?” Kaede laughed. 

Sure, his antics could be annoying, but the blonde secretly found some entertainment in them. She would keep that a secret to her grave, though. If the Supreme Leader were to somehow find out, who knew how inflated his ego would get. 

If Kokichi was pairing people together, then...

She told herself that the tiny flame of hope- of opportunity- was just her imagination and was truly nonexistent. 

“You can just skip the whole mess and room with me.” The words left her mouth without her thinking, and the implication made her face grow red-hot. 

Shuichi’s head snapped up with equally pink cheeks. His stammers were so intense she couldn’t tell what he was trying to say. 

“N-Not just you and me, of course!” Kaede inwardly kicked herself. “Kaito and Rantaro can come, too, if they wanna.” 

“O-Oh.” Shuichi hung his head low. The couple continued their walk towards the campus.

Kaede told herself that he wasn’t disappointed- oh god, had she made him uncomfortable?

“S-Sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?” Kaede murmured. She wrung her hands together, the cold making her fingers hurt with every movement. “I-I just meant if you didn’t wanna deal with Kokichi. He might make you room with M-Miu or someone and I just didn’t want you to be uncomfortable or anythi-”

Shuichi’s hand, surprisingly warm despite the weather, landed on top of Kaede’s. Startled, she met his eyes before ducking her head down. She was such a confident person, but when it came to Shuichi and the beating of her heart she felt like a shy middle-schooler all over again. 

“Thanks for the offer, Aka- er, Kaede.” Shuichi’s smile made her insides do a backflip. “I don’t want to be a bother, though.”

“Don’t be silly.” She stuck out her lip and turned up her head, her confidence slowly coming back to her now that he hadn’t seemed weirded out. “I’ve got plenty of room.”

And it was true- it wasn’t just an excuse to spend more time with the detective, even though they wouldn’t be alone together. That’s what she repeated in her head like a mantra the rest of the way to campus.


	2. Lock and Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede promises herself that she won't act on her feelings. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Hajime carries Chiaki to her dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments on the previous chapter! I can't promise I'll be able to deliver a good story, but hopefully it's not a pain to consume lol 
> 
> I also really want to start incorporating bigger roles of the other ships. They were originally just going to be brief mentions, but the idea of all of these ships actually having some action AT THE SAME TIME felt so tempting so. Here's a little taste of that!

The chaos was impossible to miss- in the center of the common room, Kokichi, though he was short, expertly defended the bundles of card-keys that each student had in order to get into their dorms. Kaede had previously thought he just took the boys’ keys, but upon further inspection of the war in front of her, she noticed some girls were anxiously taking a swipe at Kokichi’s hidden hands.

Kaito was the leading force of it all. He stood with his hands on his hips and his booming voice overshadowed the rest effortlessly.

“C’mon Kokichi don’t be so annoying!” He took a swipe at his hands. “I demand you give them back!”

The smaller boy expertly dodged him and gave a grin from ear-to-ear. His signature nee-hee-hee laugh rang out loud and clear. 

“You demand?” Immediately, the prankster bursted into tears and launched himself at Rantaro. “My dearest Rantaro, Kaito’s being mean!” 

Rantaro awkwardly laughed and gently pushed Kokichi off of him. 

“Shouldn’t you be telling that to-” he gave a guilty glance to Kirumi, “mommy?” 

Kokichi blinked as though the thought hadn’t come to him before and he turned, a cheshire-grin from ear-to-ear on his face. He pranced up to Kirumi and went in for a hug; his face was met with her hand. 

To the left of the chaos stood those who still had- or perhaps had obtained- their keycards. Kokichi definitely left theirs alone, Kaede giggled. Those who still had them were the arguably more...intimidating ones. 

Maki, Kirumi, Kyoko, Ryoma, Nagito, Byakuya, Nekomaru- basically every person who wouldn’t be afraid to deck Kokichi in the face. 

“Kaito, Rantaro!” Shuichi had moved to the raucous group and pulled the two aside. 

Kaede gave a wave to those who had either already had their keys or simply retired the idea of fighting for them. 

Chiaki lazily waved back and gave an impressive yawn before pulling her hood down and drifting off to sleep. Hajime sighed and looked around before quickly and gently pulling her head to rest on his shoulder. When Kaede caught his eyes and smirked he turned a rosy-red and looked away, arms crossed. 

Kyoko was standing at the mouth of the hallway entrance, her keycard lazily twirling between her fingers. Makoto had apparently given up in his search for his own key; he was clutching a pillow and a small duffle bag in his hands, a dumb smile on his face. They often didn’t sleep in the dorms. Kyoko, Makoto, and Shuichi sometimes slept over at the agency. The blonde grinned. They were so cute together; all of them were. 

It made her heart ache. 

Suddenly Shuichi approached her, a smiling Rantaro by his side. Kaede raised a brow.

“Kaito said if he was rooming with anyone, it’d be Maki.” Shuichi supplemented. The flush on his cheeks made her think more was said, but she decided not to pry. 

Rantaro gave her a wave and a well-mannered wink. “Thanks Kaede!” 

She only nodded and dug through her clutch before producing the keycard to the Ultimate Pianist’s dorm. Her room was to the right- the female’s side- and at the very end of the hall. Luckily, she was on the same floor as the common room. She shared a wall to the left with Chiaki (her class’ senior supervisor, shockingly), who was currently sleeping in the common room, so she wasn’t too worried about any unpleasant comments. The trio had managed to avoid Tenko’s wrath at the prospect of having degenerates sharing rooms with girls; Kaede thanked whoever was looking down on her for that. 

If she had to be teased about spending the night with Shuichi she would just have to curl up and die. Miu, too, had been missing. Thankfully, the Inventor’s room was nowhere near Kaede’s own. 

The dorm itself was large. According to the boys’ gasps and stifled ooh’s, the dorms were not all the same size. It made sense, because of her talent, there had to be enough room to accommodate a grand piano. 

Her room was cozy and smelled like apples with the faint scent of books and paper in the air. She had a wax-melter on the corner of her desk, where her laptop and schoolwork was spread out and ready. She hastily moved to tidy up, apologies spilling out of her mouth like word vomit. Rantaro laughed and rushed forward to help her. 

“No worries,” He slipped a piece of paper into a folder and tucked it into a drawer. Kaede gave him a thankful smile and he responded with a big hand landing on her blonde hair. 

Shuichi awkwardly cleared his throat and Kaede jumped, forgetting for a moment that he was there. The blue-haired boy’s hands were shoved into his pockets and he looked down at the ground, his feet playing with the carpeting. Rantaro gave a knowing grin and hid it behind his hands as he backed away from the pianist. 

“A-Ah, sorry.” Kaede moved to a closet by the bathroom and came back with two fluffy pillows and two blankets. She threw them on the bed before going back, futons clutched in her hands.

“Sorry you have to sleep on the floor.” She apologetically fished out another blanket. The wooden floor was chilly, especially in the winter, and the little heater did very little to stave off the numbing cold. Shuichi shook his head. 

“You know what,” Rantaro comically dug around in his pocket before gasping at his phone screen. “Ryoma actually offered for me to room with him.”

Shuichi seemed startled; “O-Oh, really?” He stammered, a bright twinkle in his eye. 

Rantaro nodded and gave the two a two-fingered salute. 

Kaede didn’t buy it. 

“Really? Ryoma doesn’t even talk to you.” She crossed her arms, brows arched. 

His eyes lingered on Shuichi’s hunched frame for a moment longer than Kaede as he shimmied his way past the two and out the door like a shadow. 

“Yup, all good here, thanks Kaede!” 

Kaede was left blinking at the now-empty spot, her head reeling. 

“What.” 

Shuichi ran his hands through his hair and gave a nervous laugh. 

He quickly stood from the floor. He had already laid out his futon and blankets. 

“I-I can leave! I can just join someone else or ask Kokichi for my key back-” 

Kaede’s light laughter stopped him mid-sentence. He looked at the floor, cheeks flushed, and anxiously rubbed his arms.

“Shuichi, it’s okay. Seriously, I don’t mind.” She waved her hand nonchalantly. “Besides, I don’t think he’d give it back. Even to you.” 

She hastily added the last part to make it sound like she wasn’t as eager as she really was. 

Her heart was beating so loudly that she was afraid he would hear it if they stood too close. The blonde quickly grabbed a set of clothes from her dressers, threw a large hoodie at Shuichi, before excusing herself and slipping into the bathroom. 

Kaede slid down the door and buried her face in her hands. She could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks as if she had an aggressive sunburn- her feet stamped the carpet in front of the door. She allowed herself a momentary breakdown. 

Oh god, she couldn’t handle this. 

Rantaro had left- for reasons completely unknown- and now it was just her and Shuichi in the same room. 

Normally she wouldn’t have let herself acknowledge her feelings. Shuichi was just so...delicate that she didn’t want to force her emotions onto him. She had the sinking feeling that he didn’t feel the same- she had nothing to base that notion on, but she just knew the second she decided to act on those feelings was the second their friendship would be ruined. She slid her hand over her chest and frowned at the speed of her heart. 

She didn’t want to lose him; his friendship meant way too much to her. 

Yeah, that’s right. She wasn’t going to do anything about it. Inviting him to room with her was purely a platonic thing. Nothing had to come out of this- not that it would, anyways- she highly doubted Shuichi even took it as anything but a friendly offer. She would allow herself to feel these emotions for just a while longer. That’s it. At midnight she was going to flip the switch and bye-bye Mr. Saihara and his cute face.

Her crush could just be stamped down into submission. It wouldn’t be hard, right?

And so it was with that thought that she stood, got changed, and slipped between her sheets. She bid Shuichi a goodnight and rolled over. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the boy laying on the ground with the blankets up to his nose. She could hear his soft breathing. He must have been tired. 

ººº

The urge to get up and join him on the floor or invite him into bed- hell, the urge to just look at him flooded through her and clouded her judgement. 

Just this once. 

Just this one time she would allow herself this. Then she would push those feelings away forever. Push them down behind lock-and-key just like she promised. 

She gave a quick glance to the clock: it wasn’t yet midnight. 

Kaede didn’t know how long she had been laying there, just thinking and breathing. But then, all of a sudden, she was kneeling on the ground beside Shuichi and her hands were resting on her thighs, face soft and eyes hooded. 

He looked soft and even more delicate in sleep. She had the urge to reach out and ghost her fingers over his cheeks and through his fluffy hair. His eyelashes were long- much longer than her own- and his cheeks were a soft pink.

His breathing was a slow cadence that made her close her eyes and smile, a tune coming from her chest unconsciously. She lowered herself down on the ground next to him and closed her eyes.

She was cold, but with him there it didn’t matter. This was the one instance she would let her guard down. She would let herself feel all of those emotions for just a couple of hours. She reached out, hand itching to grab his own, but stopped inches short. 

Her fingers rested on the edge of the blanket. 

•••

Chiaki Nanami had no trouble sleeping. That was a known fact; Hajime would bet that if she wasn’t the Ultimate Gamer, she most definitely would’ve been scouted as the Ultimate Sleeper.

So it was with this knowledge that he frustratedly (read: willingly) carried the gamer to her own dorm; he had successfully snatched back his key after hours of waiting. Kokichi eventually gave up and threw the keys in the air with an “i’m bored,” and sauntered off with his hands in his pockets. Hajime had grabbed Chiaki and his own keys and, before the others had time to talk to him, he picked her up and started walking. 

Hajime wasn’t the best with directions. He had admittedly gotten lost more than once- first, he had gone to the wrong floor. Since Chiaki was an upperclassman, she expected her dorms to be on the second floor, but apparently she was something of a monitor for the third floor dorms. Meaning, he had to go all the way back through the common room.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise when she had yawned and sleepily asking him, “Hajime? Where are we?”

He gave a deep sigh. He was, admittedly, frustrated that he hadn’t managed to get her into bed before she woke up, but at least he hadn’t left her asleep in the lobby. He pulled her up higher on his back. 

“Almost to your dorm,” He settled. He didn’t want to tell her that he had gotten lost.

She smiled and rubbed her eyes. 

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me when you’re not even there yet,” he chided, trying to sound stern but miserably failing. “I could be kidnapping you or something.”

“I can see my room right there.” 

Hajime’s steps faltered and he mentally hit himself for sounding lame. He already had a hard enough time being around Ultimates every second- why did he have to make an even bigger fool of himself now?

Chiaki’s tired giggles accompanied her soft hair and jacket leaning on the top of his head. He startled, almost tripping. 

“W-What are you doing?” 

“I’m tired,” she answered smoothly, shrugging like it was no big deal. She cuddled her face deeper into his hair and took a deep sniff. “You smell like Hajime.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…” 

“You’re comforting.” 

“Or maybe you just fall asleep too easily.”

“Mm. No, you make my heart smile.”

Hajime had to take a deep breath and push the urge to squeal and/or drop her as deep as he possibly could. He cleared his throat.

"Don't say things like that so easily," the grin on his face said otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hajime is probably ooc but for some reason I really like the idea of him just being aloof on the outside and completely freaking out like a schoolgirl on the inside 
> 
> Also Rantaro's a bro (more on him leaving later^^)


	3. Amaranthine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede wakes up and, after finding herself laying next to Shuichi, flees to the cafeteria to have a mini-breakdown. A conversation with Kyoko makes her question herself. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Maki and Kaito room together.

There were plenty of things that Kaede knew. 

Sure, she wasn’t the Ultimate Inventor or Genius or Mathematician or Philosopher or- 

Okay, she wasn’t the smartest. But she certainly wasn’t dumb. She knew English and Japanese both more or less fluently and she could play any classical piano piece forwards or backwards with her eyes closed- but if there was one thing that she was hopeless at it was relationships. 

“There, there,” Tsumugi soothed, her hand gently patting Kaede’s back as she talked her through her third emotional breakdown this week. 

Kaede groaned and buried her head deeper in her arms until her forehead hit the cold of the canteen table. How could she be so incompentent?

“Uh, not that I care, but what’s up with Kaeidiot?” Miu’s obnoxiously loud drawl was actually considerably tame. 

It could be because they were sitting in the canteen at three in the morning. 

“She’s having a breakdown over Shui-” 

Kaede slammed her head up at the sound of the detective’s name being uttered. Her hand slapped over Tsumugi’s mouth so hard that the latter bit her lip. Kaede flinched as the warm blood hit her fingers and the cosplayer comically slapped at her hands to get them off. 

“ _ What are you talking about, Miu? I’m perfectly fine! _ ” Kaede rushed out, sounding perfectly not-fine. 

It was a blessing that Miu was so disinterested in anyone but herself; it was a curse that she had managed to hear the small bit of Shuichi’s name. 

“Ohh,” She drawled, leaning forward to prop her arms up on the table. Her face came within inches of Kaede’s. “So you’re droppin’ your panties for Pooichi?”

Kaede normally wouldn’t have been bothered by this- this was just Miu being her perverted self. But her mind was not on her side as the image of her doing just that popped flashed behind her eyelids and a squeal tore out of her throat and heat rushed to her cheeks. 

“ _ Fuckin’ finally!  _ So who’s the bottom?” Miu slid into the seat next to Tsumugi. “I’ve always thought he was a masoch-” 

“ _ Shut up! _ ” Kaede’s voice came out much louder than intended and she immediately looked around her, anxiously waiting for the headmaster or any unwanted students to stick their head out. “S-Sorry, Miu, but we’re kind of breaking curfew right now.” 

Miu seemed anything but bothered. On the other hand, she looked absolutely pleased to have been yelled at. Kaede let go of Tsumugi’s mouth, apologizing to her, too, and furiously took to rubbing her hands over her face. 

“You should get back to your dorms.” 

A cold voice spoke from the stairwell leading back up to the dorms. The trio jumped and turned: Kyoko stood there in her pajamas, hair up in a messy braid, and she clutched a glass of milk in her hands. 

“A-Ah, Kyoko…” Kaede tried to give her a smile but failed miserably. “S-Sorry, but give me an exception just this once?” 

Kyoko gave a deep sigh and took a swig of her refreshment, the thought seemingly stewing in her brain. 

“Fine,” She conceded. “But you two-'' she glared at Tsumugi, who smiled, and Miu, who panted and drooled. “Go.”

“Aw that’s not fair, Kyoko-sama,” Tsumugi teased the upperclassman, but either out of fear or sheer obedience, the cosplayer seemingly hovered towards the stairwell. Miu worlessly followed. 

Kyoko stood at the entrance in silence for a moment longer. Only the quiet ticking of the clock and the sips of her beverage could be heard. Kaede’s ears twitched at the eerily quiet surroundings and she yearned for anything other than just the repeated tickticktick-

“Why are you here?” 

The question was so sudden that the blonde actually looked around the cafeteria as though she had forgotten there was someone besides herself. Which, for the record, she totally did. 

“Ah…” an awkward laugh wasn’t enough to dissuade the girl’s curiosity. She took another sip and peered over the rim of the glass. “I don’t really...know you well enough for that-” 

“Shuichi?” 

She said it so simply. So boldly. So  _ matter-of-fact  _ that Kaede was genuinely stunned into silence. 

Was she that obvious?

“I thought so,” she sighed and set her glass down. Kaede noticed she still wore her gloves even with her pajamas. “You two are always together. If it’s about him being held over lately, it’s my fault. I assigned him my cases-”

“It’s nothing like that! Seriously!” Kaede tried to comfort the girl with a smile, to let her know her current turmoil was caused by no one but herself, but it must have come across as forced. 

“You don’t have to lie to me.” 

Another sip.

“We’re not close or anything, but I don’t hate you. Makoto and Shuichi like you. You seem nice.” 

Kaede couldn’t tell if she was trying to be nice or reassure her, but she was thankful nonetheless. She had always admired Kyoko’s talent; it was something that genuinely benefited the world around her and made it a better place. In a way, her own was like that too, but Kyoko was able to prevent truly terrible things from happening. 

And Shuichi liked her, so she couldn’t be a bad person.

“How are you and Makoto?” Kaede didn’t mean to change the subject so drastically or to pry into her personal life, but the girl took it in stride. 

She had a soft smile on her face barely distinguishable in the dark of the cafeteria. 

“Good, thank you. He’s taken to detective work quite naturally.” She looked at her companion through the corner of her eye. “Do you mind if I ask how you and Saihara are?”

Kaede bit her lip and closed her eyes tight. That question hurt so much more than she thought it would; the times she had imagined hearing it were under...much more joyful circumstances. 

“Actually...I’ve decided to give up on him.” She forced a light-hearted laugh. 

“Oh? But why would you deny him of his feelings?” 

What? Deny him of his feelings? That’s exactly why she decided not to pursue anything- Shuichi was the type of person to accept her confession purely out of obligation. She was doing this out of consideration of him, right?

“What do you mean?” 

Kyoko shrugged and grabbed her glass, finishing it off with an elegant swig. She turned to leave Kaede alone with every thought and question in the world before she stopped. 

“Maybe you should ask him how he feels. Saihara’s a kind person, but he is not easy to read. Don’t assume you know his thoughts.” 

“Right…” Kaede tugged at her sleeves. “Thank you, Kyoko.”

•••

“Thanks for lettin’ me crash here, Maki-Roll!” 

Kaito Momota held a pillow in one hand and his jacket, lazily flung over his shoulder, in the other. He had a smile on his face and he easily plopped himself down on the Ultimate Assassin’s mattress as if they had been roommates for years. 

Maki gave a sigh that seemed to embody all of her conflicting emotions and a noncommittal, “Whatever,” as she tugged the hair bands out of her hair. 

It wasn’t just  _ whatever _ to them though, and she knew it. She also knew that Kaito knew that, too, so when he responded with a wiggle of his brows and a satisfied grin, she knew there was no way out of this one. 

“What are you doing on my bed?” Maki snapped her head towards the astronaut, who had now taken to spreading out over the mattress with his hands behind his head. 

He shrugged. 

“Figured we’d be sharin’, yeah?” 

To his credit, he really did manage to squeeze in as much conviction into his voice as possible. It was like he was trying to convince her that she had said that before- Maki was not buying into the act. 

She pinched the bridge of her nose and, very calmly, through her shaking voice, said: “Do you want to die?”

At that he merely chuckled and waved his hands dismissively. 

“Aw, c’mon Maki-Roll--”

“ _ Don’t call me that. _ ” 

“Maki-Roll,” He continued as if there were no interruption. “You’re too nice to make me, Luminary of the Stars, sleep on the cold hard ground.” 

Maki snatched a blanket from the edge of the bed, pried her pillow from behind the head of dark-hair that was Kaito, and stared at him through narrowed eyes. She hoped she looked as intimidating as she was trying to be. 

“Fine. Take the bed.” 

She didn’t miss the disappointed and bewildered noise that Kaito had let out or the way that he reached for her hand as if to pull her back into him. She considered for a moment hesitating just long enough for him to make a move, but even the thought of doing something so... _ insane _ made her toes curl and her stomach flip. 

She had settled down on the floor in her makeshift futon when she heard the sound of fabric rubbing against fabric. Kaito had turned over, or maybe stood, from the sound of his weight on the hardwood. 

  
  


She had just laid there, staring at the opposing wall, for roughly four hours. She could tell by the faint glow of an alarm clock in the corner of the room. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to sleep. Maki wanted nothing but sleep, but for some reason, she wasn’t granted that brief mercy. 

Her day had been rough. Of course, she had retired her Ultimate, as she no longer needed it as a student. She highly doubted the school would appreciate her being a literal assassin- but then again, it was why they scouted her. That didn’t stop her from feeling some semblance of gross when other students crossed to the other side of the hallway just to avoid passing by her.

Her bed springs creaked at weight being removed suddenly and Maki felt her muscles tense in a way they only did when she was bracing for a hit. She quickly closed her eyes and forced her breathing to slow down. 

“You’re too stubborn, Maki-Roll.” 

His voice was  _ so close-  _ right by her ear. He was speaking in a low whisper as though it was just for him and she wasn’t supposed to hear it. It dawned on her that he thought she was asleep. 

Panic didn’t fuel her like she would have expected it too. This was  _ Kaito _ . The dude who screamed that he was the Luminary of the Stars at the top of his lungs unironically. He was dumb to boot- but, he was charming. She couldn’t deny the way her heart rate never failed to speed up at that ridiculous nickname. 

And then his arms were underneath her and she was suddenly no longer on the ground. She almost let the facade slip- she almost made a move to grab at the ground and flip back to the safety of the blankets, but her mind was lagging and her muscles were too stiff to warrant that movement. 

So she did nothing. 

She laid limp and let the boy pick her up and carry her to her bed. She felt the soft cushioning underneath her before the comforter was pulled snug under her nose. Maki held her breath, waiting for him to climb into bed beside her- but nothing happened. 

She waited for a moment to make sure he wouldn't be looking at her and peeked one eye open. 

Kaito had taken her place on the floor. He had that signature dumb grin on his face. What was the reason for taking her spot? Did he just want to interact with her in some way? Kaito suddenly bolted up from his spot on the floor, one hand clutched over his mouth, the other holding himself up. Painful coughs wracked his body and Maki caught sight of the gleam of scarlet blood spill into his fingers. 

She bolted from the mattress, no longer caring to keep up the rouse, and rushed to his side. 

“Kaito? Are you okay?” Why did she even bother with that? It was extremely obvious he was in fact not okay. He didn’t even glance at her when she grabbed a nearby water bottle and uncapped it. 

Her fingers found purchase under his chin and she forced his hand away from his face, tilting it up as she did so. He tried to hide the handful of blood from her, but she had an assassin’s eyes; there was blood dribbling down his chin, anyways. 

“Drink.” 

She rubbed his back soothingly with the hand that had tilted his head up until his coughs more or less subsided. With the other, she slowly poured water into his mouth. 

Kaito greedily gulped it down, eyes squeezed tight, and he eventually snatched the bottle from her and chugged it. 

“Thanks, Maki.”

Even though she was insistent on hating the nickname, when he didn’t use it, it made her inside grow cold. Like he was mad at her or something, even if that wasn’t true. She knew in the back of her mind that he was likely just embarrassed- but Maki knew of his disease. He didn’t advertise it or anything, but Maki and Shuichi were both well-informed. 

When you spend every second with someone as stupid and big-mouthed as Kaito, it was inevitable that his business got out. 

Maki leaned back on her knees and sighed. The momentary stress was still coursing through her veins; concern plagued her thoughts. Even if he told her to go back to sleep there was definitely no way she’d be able to now. 

“You idiot. Why the hell did you switch places with me? Doesn’t dust make your coughing worse?” 

She had no idea if that was true or if she was grasping for a reason to talk to him. 

A pitiful cough escaped him and he tried to disguise it as clearing his throat. 

“I just wanted you to be comfortable,” He laughed that same loud, booming laugh as always.

“I don’t care. Take care of yourself.” She huffed- his laugh was comfort enough. 

“Aw, Maki-roll, do you care about me?” He smiled. “I knew my charms would work on you!” 

“Shut up. Do you want to die?” 

Maki stood from the ground, giving him a playful shove as she did so, and grabbed an extra-fluffy blanket from the foot of her bed. She didn’t say anything but threw it over his head and crawled into her own bed. 

She hid her small smile behind her comforter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so so much for the kudos and comments! They genuinely help with the motivation for this fanfic~ 
> 
> Feel free to leave any comments or critiques in the comments!


	4. Meliorism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meliorism- (n.) The belief that the world can be made better with human effort. 
> 
> •••
> 
> Mkay hi! I apologize for the late update. I really wanted to make a chapter solely dedicated to the background ships, but I just couldn't squeeze enough content out of my brain to warrant that so uh
> 
> here's the final chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering writing an epilogue, but for now this is the final chapter.

Chiaki stretched, sounds of relief from all of her built-up tension escaping her mouth as she did so. She cast a teasing look over her shoulder before holding up a controller, eyebrows raised in a silent challenge. 

Hajime sighed. He had no idea how he had gotten himself into this position, but here he was. And he- though he would absolutely never in a million years admit this- was in no hurry to leave. He sat on the edge of Chiaki’s bed in the middle of an unholy number of stuffed plushies and body-pillows. 

After he had carried her here he expected to just drop her off at the door and be on his merry way. But no. Of course it didn’t work out that way. The gamer had jumped off his back, sure, but she had also grabbed his hand and unlocked her door all within the span of, like, five seconds. 

So here he was. Ushered into her room at an ungodly hour and she wanted to play videogames.

“This is why you’re so tired all the time,” he had chided her, his initial refusal to a MarioKart tournament going unheard. 

She had only responded with a hum and further perusal of her videogame archive; he obviously understood that she was the Ultimate Gamer, but her collection was  _ ridiculous _ . She eventually pulled back from her boxes of gear and threw an extra controller his way. 

“Have you played before?” Her voice was much more awake now. Maybe it was because she had a controller in her hand and the game up on the screen. 

Hajime sighed and sunk back into the pile of stuffed animals, resigning to his fate. 

“Yeah, when I was like five.”

“Hm,” Chikai hummed, seemingly content with that answer, and joined him on her bed. He shied away from her and settled further back into her mountain of pillows and such- she moved closer. “Then if you suck too much I’ll show you how to play.” 

She was teasing him, and he knew it was all in good fun and he more than likely would not be able to beat her (Ultimate Gamer or not) but a passionate fire of determination to prove her wrong and prove his own worth burned in his blood. He leaned forward, brow furrowed in concentration, elbows on his knees. 

“I’ll crush you.” His voice was firm and Chiaki’s lips spread out in a soft smile in response. 

“Mhmm!” 

ººº  
  


By the time he lost his tenth tournament in a row, the obnoxiously cute rabbit-shaped alarm clock that was perched conveniently out of eye-sight flashed that it was nearly four in the morning. With a groan, an unpleasant burn settled into the back of his eyes and he closed them harshly in an attempt to chase away the pain.

From beside him, Chiaki had finished celebrating her consecutive wins and turned the system off before gathering the controllers and putting them neatly away. The bed dipped with her added weight and suddenly her face was right beside of his. 

Her breath smelled sweet. Was it possible for someone’s breath to be pretty? Because hers was. He shrunk back at the proximity of her wide, curious eyes, and turned his head when she yawned. 

“Are you sleepy?” 

Hajime nodded and stood from the bed. 

“Yeah, so I’ll get going.” Chiaki nodded and made to flatten out the comforter from where he had previously been sitting. He noticed the way she slipped into bed without changing or even taking her hairpin out of her hair. 

She fell asleep almost immediately without another word to him. 

With a deep, exasperated sigh, he reached over and cautiously plucked the accessory from her hair. She made no move. 

“Goodnight, Chiaki.”

Hajime turned the light out and left her dorm, the door shutting softly behind him. 

  
  


•••

Kyoko was confident in her advice to the pianist. Sure, they might not be extremely close or anything, but the girl was relatively easy to read; or maybe that was just because she was a detective. A rather good one at that. 

Kyoko slipped into her dorm and quietly shut the door behind her. The lights were already off and the entirety of the dorm room was pitch black. She would have fumbled and possibly tripped if it wasn’t for the bright blue-light screen from the bed lighting up the face of Makoto Naegi. 

He looked over at her at the sound of the door closing and smiled in that soft, understanding way that seemed to be his default. It was calming and sweet and it made her heart thump and her head fog with emotions. 

Their relationship was a slow one, and there hadn’t been a formal proposal of titles from either one of them, but it was most definitely understood. The two didn’t need the reassurance of a proper title or constant PDA- they fell into an easy rhythm where everything just happened so naturally and so….in summary, it was just easy. 

Kyoko really liked having something in her life that didn’t require constant thinking and breaking down or observing details. It also helped that Makoto was the type of person he was. She felt the corners of her lips twitch at just the thought of her boyfriend.

They had no  _ official  _ titles, but she was free to refer to him as she pleased; she would never tell Makoto that she loved to call him that in her head. 

“Welcome back!” He greeted from the bed, his phone screen illuminating his welcoming smile and soft eyes. 

He lifted the comforter and patted the empty spot beside him. WIthout a word, the purple-haired detective joined him on the bed and slipped her gloves off, laying them on the bedside table as she got comfortable. 

Makoto chuckled at the way she sighed contently at the comfort and warmth from the blankets and the boy next to her. She unconsciously leaned into his warmth a bit- he was careful to not let her know she was doing it. He clicked his screen off and abandoned it somewhere on the floor. 

“Do you know Kaede Akamatsu?” Kyoko found herself asking. 

“Hmm…” Makoto hummed, his finger instinctively finding his chin in an obvious sign of thinking. “She’s the blonde one that plays piano, right?” 

She nodded, now fully giving into the warmth of another person. Makoto’s head found her shoulder. 

“I ran into her in the cafeteria.” 

“She’s nice,” he offered up, not being able to tell where the conversation was going. “Shuichi really likes her.” 

Kyoko nodded and the two fell quiet. Nothing but the sounds of their breathing and the occasional hoot from an owl outside. She didn’t mind the silence, though, even though they were both awake. They could lay in one another’s company for hours just sitting there and neither of them would get bored or uncomfortable. That’s just the way it was. 

It was when Makoto’s hand found her own and he tentatively laced their fingers together under the blanket that Kyoko thought back to her own advice to the pianist. Yeah, her and Makoto definitely had a different dynamic than Shuichi and Kaede; for one, they were already in that easy rhythm of a long-term relationship despite the lack of clarification. THat would have been enough for the detective to be content and carry on like always, but…

“Do you like me?” 

The words cut through the comfortable silence and as soon as they left her mouth her cheeks grew warm. She didn’t regret asking and her heart didn’t race- she just calmly laid there while Makoto’s fingers twitched around her own. If she slipped her fingers down to hover over his pulse, she would have felt the way it rapidly sped up. 

“I-I…” he took a shaky inhale and then, all at once, the tension in his body dispelled. “Of course I do!” 

She could feel there were thick words left to be said and that he was reaching out to find exactly what to say to her. She wasn’t about to push him into explaining herself, though, so she settled with a hum and a smile. Her hand found his fluffy hair and she ran her fingers through it lovingly, letting all of her own unspoken feelings flow through her fingers. 

This was enough. 

* * *

Kaede stood in front of the door to her dorm. 

It was stupid to just be standing here like she was waiting to be invited in; this was  _ her  _ room and she had every right to come and go as she pleased. The words of comfort she was trying to feed herself went in one ear and out the other as her nerves dominated her brain. Sure, it was her room, but there was currently a guest in her bed- and that guest was none other than-- 

“Kaede?”

Kaede jumped before her hands covered her face and her words rushed out in an avalanche: “I-I wasn’tdoinganythingIpromiseIwasjust-” 

“What are you doing?” 

“Huh?” She moved her hands from in front of her face and blinked. This wasn’t real. Was it? She blinked harder. “Oh! Shuichi! Hi, did I...wake you up?”

The sleepy detective rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He was like a child with sleep hanging over him like a protective blanket. Kaede felt herself smile despite herself when she saw that he was clutching a blanket around his shoulders and his hair was messy in that cute Shiuchi-special way. 

“No, Kaito texted me but…” He yawned and then looked at the ground. His cheeks were pink- probably from sleep, Kaede noted. “I realized you weren’t here and I got concerned.” 

This boy was the sweetest person in her life, Kaede decided. Guilt tugged at her heartstrings and she nervously played with the edge of her pajama sleeve; her face was hot, her body was hot, her chest hurt- her anxiety was on overdrive and there was nothing she could do to make it stop. 

“I’m sorry, I just-” She scratched the back of her head, looking for an excuse, and then smiled when she pulled out a pack of gummies from her pocket. “Midnight munchies, you know?” 

Shuichi stared at the blue packet in her hands and blinked comically before bursting out into a laugh that was just too cute to ignore. Kaede grinned along with him and soon they were giggling together. 

The couple sat perched on her mattress, the pack of gummies open and spread out on her blanket as they henpecked the ones they liked. Shuichi had just popped a yellow one into his mouth when Kaede apologized before she could stop herself. 

“What for?” He yawned. 

“For leaving without saying anything…” Kaede’s fingers dug into the blanket and shame settled heavy on her shoulders. 

Shuichi settled on a soft grin. His eyes were heavy with sleep.

“It’s okay. I just didn’t know if I made you uncomfortable or anything…” 

It was his turn with shame, and he took to it by rubbing the back of his neck and anxiously laughing in a way that felt hollow and wrong. 

She frowned and shook her head, holding a finger up in what she hoped was a playfully scolding way. 

“You’ve never made me uncomfortable! So don’t put yourself down.” Kaede huffed, her tone set in that way that you just knew no argument could sway her. 

“B-But I probably stepped out of bounds-”

“No way. I’m the one who asked you to…” Kaede trailed off, the memory making her cheeks flush, and she threw her cold hands over her face in an attempt to calm her heart down.

“K-Kaede? Are you okay?” 

She didn’t want to bother him with her trivial thoughts and feelings. It was well past midnight. Her deal with herself was still standing strong- that is, it  _ was _ , until Kyoko unintentionally tore down every wall Kaede had stubbornly put up. She bit her lip and nodded. 

Apparently the action was not comforting enough for Shuichi. He scowled in that way that he did when thinking particularly hard about a case and tugged at the edge of his hair. He leaned away from her as though the distance was a sure-fire solution. 

“I’m sorry. I must have been troublesome, no?” 

He was smiling but it didn’t fit his voice. The bed creaked as he stood. 

“It’s already morning, I can probably spend the next few hours with Kaito and Maki-” 

Kaede’s hand reacted before her mind had time to catch up. Her fingers found comfort around his wrist and he startled, instinctively pulling back for a moment before meeting her eyes. 

“Shuichi. Please don’t consider yourself a burden.” She furrowed her brows and leaned forward; she could see the sparks of light blue in his eyes. “You’re the only one that can comfort me…you’ve never been a burden.”

The weight of what she was saying and doing was suddenly heavier than gravity itself. She hung her head down, let go off his wrist as though she had touched fire, and flung herself flat back on her bed. Her hands took to hiding her face from Shuichi’s curious eyes. 

Her face was bright pink. 

_ Oh god, oh god, what did she just say? Was that some sick joke of a confession?  _

“O-Oh...Are you alright?” He leaned down. “I-I’m sorry that I’ve been trouble…” The weight lowered the mattress down beside of her and she startled, moving her hands off of her face and then- 

He was right there. 

Shuichi Saihara, the boy she was trying so desperately hard to get over, was hovering over her body. While they were on her bed. At four in the morning. 

They stared at one another for what felt like years and yet was nowhere near enough time. Suddenly, as though the realization just hit him, Shuichi jumped back and tried to speak- apologize, probably- but his words were suddenly much too thick in his throat and his stutters prevented him from being even remotely understandable. 

Kaede closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and sat up. 

She didn’t know what came over her. The only thing that was running through her mind was the fact that this was Shuichi. He was trying everything in his power to comfort her and she had made him doubt himself. 

She could deal with the consequences later; for now, she wanted to show him how much he meant to her. 

_ It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. It’ll be okay. Shuichi won’t just leave you, he’s not that person!  _

Her attempted comfort was enough for a momentary burst of courage. She grabbed the sides of his face, eyes determined; Shuichi’s were wide and shocked, stutters still spilling from his mouth, and his cheeks were warm under her fingers. 

She hadn’t lost all of her senses though. Kaede was within inches of his face; they were so close Shuichi could smell the gummies on her breath and count the amaranthine glimmers in her eyes. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

The whisper hung in the air. Thick like fog and yet light and airy, as though it were the oxygen itself in the room. Kaede was gulping it down; her heart felt as though it was pumped full of helium and her head felt stuffed with cotton. 

There was nothing but hearts beating in unison, faces warm underneath her fingers, and Shuichi’s shaky breathing. Kaede was impressing herself; her confidence had not yet slipped away from her. 

He opened his mouth and, like a gaping fish, no words came out. Kaede was about to pull away, apologize, and then drop off the face of the earth, when he settled on a nod of his head instead. 

Her body moved on its own. 

Their lips touched and suddenly everything felt right- all the anxiety and nerves had melted off of her. The thoughts and doubts in the back of her mind that this was wrong and it would end wrong- they were shut down with the realization that Shuichi truly was her everything. 

Shuichi Saihara had her heart. 

And Kaede was okay with that.

Her hands were on either side of his face and her lips met his in a kiss that she pushed all of her emotions through- soft, gentle, loving; yet desperate. He was tense at first, nervous, maybe, but Kaede could feel the tension leave his body and suddenly he was leaning into her touch. 

His own hands slipped around her: one around her waist, the other on the back of her head. 

When they broke away for air, Kaede rested her forehead on Shuichi’s. The heat from both of them was enough to make her break down into giggles. Relief, love, happiness- it was all sending her up and up and up; she felt lighter than air. 

Shuichi joined in with her laughter and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I love you.” 

The declaration felt easy. Like it was fact- and it was. It felt right leaving her lips and the words settled on her tongue and in the air like it was finally home. Her body was pleasantly warm from the confession and a smile easily broke out on her face in that uncontrollable way she had only ever experienced as a kid. 

She couldn’t believe that she had doubted it before. She couldn’t fathom a world without her detective by her side. Loving him was as easy as breathing- so easy that she hadn’t realized when her crush had grown to something so much deeper.

She ran his fingers through his hair and closed her eyes. He leaned into her touch until they were practically melting into one another. 

“Would you believe me if I said that I loved you, too?” 

Kaede squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn’t sad. Those words were the ones that she had been dying to hear- she had run them over and over again in her dreams. This same exact scenario. It felt so unreal. The blonde caressed his face like she didn’t quite believe he was here and this was happening.

“Can you say it again?”

She just wanted to hear it. To savor it. To know that Shuchi was here and he was reciprocating. 

“I love you, Kaede Akamatsu.” 

He was nervous. His adrenaline was pumping and his stutter was still strong. He seemed unsure of himself, but his words were firm. There was no room for doubt. 

Kaede laughed, tears of happiness bubbling up in her eyes and slipping down her cheeks- Shuichi used his thumb to brush them away. 

“I love you too, Shuichi Saihara.” 

And it just felt right. The air, the touches, the warmth. They were right where they needed to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and keeping up with this fic. All of the comments and kudos really encouraged me to continue writing; this was incredibly fun to write. 
> 
> You guys are amazing and I appreciate all of the love and support!
> 
> If you liked this work and would like to read other things I've written, please consider visiting my profile!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you would like a chapter two- I'm still very tempted to leave this as a one-shot and call it quits lol 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! ^^


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